Enhanced Health Care Standards For Florida Women’s Clinics Becomes Law

By  //  March 28, 2016

signed in to law by Governor Rick Scott

Senator Kelli Stargel, right (R-Lakeland) and Representative Colleen Burton’s, left (R-Lakeland) bill, Termination of Pregnancies (HB 1411) was signed in to law by Governor Rick Scott.
Senator Kelli Stargel, right (R-Lakeland) and Representative Colleen Burton’s, left (R-Lakeland) bill, Termination of Pregnancies (HB 1411) was signed in to law by Governor Rick Scott.

TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – Senator Kelli Stargel (R-Lakeland) and Representative Colleen Burton’s (R-Lakeland) bill, Termination of Pregnancies (HB 1411) was signed in to law by Governor Rick Scott.

This legislation protects women by ensuring any women’s health clinic, which performs abortions, are held to the same medical standard as any other outpatient surgical facility.

These standards include requiring admitting or transfer privileges for the abortion doctors.

Also, reporting data to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control), annual inspections by Florida’s Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA), as well as, registration of abortion referral entities with AHCA.

This new law also tightens current restrictions on how fetal remains are disposed. Furthermore, while state dollars are not used for elective abortions, HB 1411 will further enhance the prohibitions against expending tax payer funding on elective abortions.

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In order to ensure AHCA and abortion clinics are working with the same standards, the terms, “first trimester,” “second trimester” and “third trimester” along with “gestation” were given a clear legislative definition.  Previously, these terms have had several different definitions in both legislation and AHCA rules.

“There should not be a double standard of care for women who have health insurance versus those who do not,” Stargel said. 

“Abortion clinics do not have the same clinical regulations and oversight as other outpatient surgical centers.  In this bill, I sought to have the same doctor agreements with hospitals as other similar facilities.  If a woman has to be transferred to a hospital because of complications from the abortion, I want the records transferred as well so she can receive the best continuing care.”

“This Session, the Legislature continued to take action to protect life and increase regulatory oversight of abortion facilities.

This good bill protects the health of women and continues our commitment to making Florida a state where all life is protected,” Representative Burton stated.

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